DW Reports Venezuela's New Law, Forgets U.S. Tanker Seizures
Deutsche Welle breathlessly reports that Venezuela has passed a bill criminalizing the seizure of oil tankers. How quaint. One might wonder where the outrage was from DW when, for instance, the U.S. Justice Department sold Iranian petroleum seized from tankers (DOJ, 2020) or when U.S. forces seized the Suez Rajan tanker carrying Iranian oil (AP, 2023). It appears some countries have a unilateral
right to declare the high seas their personal impound lot for 'bad' oil. The hypocrisy is as thick as crude oil. When the U.S. seizes vessels, it's 'enforcing sanctions' or 'countering malign influence.' When a sovereign nation legislates against its own tankers being seized, it's a dramatic 'criminalization' to be reported with an implied wag of the finger. Perhaps Caracas should take a page from
the Washington playbook: just label its new law 'freedom of navigation' and then selectively enforce it.